Apparatus for drying rubber coatings on small objects



Oct 8, 1957 s. L. HALPERN ETAL 8, 40

' APPARATUS FOR DRYING RUBBER commas 0N SMALL OBJECTS Filed Oct. 8, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS' A TTORNE Y5;

Oct. 8, 1957 S. L- HALPERN ETAL APPARATUS FOR DRYING RUBBER COATINGS ON,SMALL OBJECTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. SAMUEL L. HALPERN MATTIO JOSEPH MARTELLI A-ITTORNEY-S'.

Oct. 8, 1957 S. L. HALPERN EI'AL APPARATUS FOR DRYING RUBBER COATINGS ON SMALL OBJECTS Flled Oct. 8, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS. Y SAMUEL L. HALPERN MA ETIO JOS EPH MARTELLI A 7 TOR [YE VS United States Patent APPARATUS FOR DRYING RUBBER COATINGS ON SMALL OBJECTS Samuel L. Halpern and Mattio Joseph Martelli, Vineland, N. J.

Application October 8,1956, Serial No. 614,573

2 Claims. (Cl. 211--1.6)

This invention has for its primary object the provision of a practical and efiicient apparatus and method for coating small objects with rubber.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method for the rubber coating of substantially S-shaped clips which are known in the art as B wire clips that are used in holding wire guards in place on multiple drop wire. The clips are made of aluminum and one of the hook portions of each clip i coated with rubber or neoprene for protective purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for coating small metal objects with rubber and for drying the same in which is incorporated a plurality of rack bars for removably but securely retaining the metal objects anda means to slowly rotatethe rack bars in unison while the objects are maintained in fixed predetermined positions. V

Other objects and featuresof the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the apparatus;

Figure 2. is a top plan view of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is asideelevational view of the apparatus;

Figure 4 is an enlarged front elevational view of a portion of the. apparatus with parts broken away and shown in section to illustrate details of construction;

Figure 5 is an enlarged group perspective view of one end of a rack bar and one portion of a means to rotatably mount the rack bar on the frame;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary reduced perspective view of the elements shown in Figure 5 as assembled in position for operation;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a trough with a neoprene or rubber solution therein and illustrating the manner of coating the metal objects;

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a sectional view similar to Figure 9 and illustrating the position of the rack bar just prior to its removal for assembly on the frame as shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the final coated metal object.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings wherein similar reference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout.

While the present apparatus and method may be employed with various small objects which require coating with rubber over a portion of their surfaces, the drawings illustrate the apparatus as it is employed for the coating of a B wire clip indicated generally at 19. A B wire clip is designed for use in holding wire guards in place on multiple drop wire. It is generally made of aluminum and is shaped like an S and has a larger hook portion 12 and a smaller hook portion 14. To protect the wire around which the clip is crimped, the larger hook 12 and the arm of the clip 10 extending up to the smaller hook 14 must be coated with neoprene or rubber 16. Such a B wire clip is conventional and may be purchased, for example, from the General Machine Products Co., of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The present apparatus and method are designed to efliciently apply. the rubber coating 16 to the clipwhere required thereon.

Elongated rack bars 18 are provided having reduced ends 20 which are substantially circular in cross section. Appropriately secured as at 22 to each rack bar and spaced along the length thereof are a plurality of metallic brackets 24 eachhaving a curved portion or loop 26 which conforms in shape to that of the smaller hook 14 of the B clip. The free end of the loop 26 includes an inturned lip 28. The B clips are removably suspended on the brackets 24 by sliding the smaller hooks 14 into the loops 26 there to be retained by the inturned lips 28 which bear against the free edges of the hooks 14 desired position but also shield the hooks 14 so that they will not be coated as this is not desirable.

A suitable elongated trough 30 is provided in which is retained a rubber solution 32, preferably a neoprene sealer sold by the Du Pont Company of Wilmington,

Delaware. 7 The end walls 34 and 36 of the trough are provided with cutouts 38. The rack bar 18 with the B clips suspended'thereon isplaced along the length of the trough with thereduced ends 20 of the rack bar resting upon the lower edges of the end wall cut-outs 38 as shown clearly in Figures 8, 9 and 10. The rack bars are rotated'at their ends, manually or mechanically at a slow rate so that the B clips are rotatably dipped in the neoprene solution 32 as shown in Figures 9 and 10. After 'a suitable thickness of coating is applied by this process to the B clips and the excess is allowed to run off, the rack bar is transferred to the rubber drying and setting apparatus as shown in Figures l-6. Said apparatus includes a suitable substantially rectangular open framework 40 which is properly supported on the ground. The framework comprises essentially upper and lower cross members 42 and 44 and a plurality of uprights 46, 48, 50 and 52 joining said upper and lower members, the framework being supported by appropriate diagonal braces 54.

The pairs of uprights 46, 48 and 50, 52 have secured thereto vertically spaced horizontally aligned bearings 56 and 58. One of the reduced ends 20 of the rack bars 18 is rotatably journalled in each of the bearings 58. The opposite'reduced end 20 of the rack bar 18 is rotatably journalled in the corresponding opposite bearing 56 by a means which is shown in Figures 4-6 and which will now be described.

Rotatably mounted in each bearing 56 is a rod 60 which has a reduced portion 62 that extends beyond the frame uprights and upon which are appropriately secured pulleys 64 and 66. Only the uppermost rods 60 are provided with a single such pulley 66 as shown clearly in Figure 4. Opening through the inner end of each rod 60 is an axial bore 68 of diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the corresponding reduced end 20 of the rack bar 18. Said corresponding end 20 of the rack bar may be slid into the bore 68, the other end 20 of the rack bar being capable of assembly in the opposite bearing 58 because the latter is open at its upper end as shown more particularly in Figure 4.

To efiect a connection between the rod 60 and the bar 18 so that the bar can be slowly rotated while the coated B clips maintain a fixed or non-shifting position rent.

.is positioned between the axially extending pins 70. Thus while the rack bars are readily and easily connected to the rotatable rods 60. they are at the same time retained in a desired position so that the B clips will not shift their I positions during rotation.

Endless belts 74 are trained over the pulleys 64 and 66 of vertically adjacent rods 60 as shown in Figures 1 and 4 so that all of the rack bars 18 are rotated in unison.

Suitably mounted upon a platform associated with the framework is a motor 76 which is connected by suitable conduits to a switch 78 that is mounted on the framework and is operatively connected to a source of electric our- The drive shaft of the motor is provided with a pulley 80 over which is trained an endless belt 82 which in turn engages another pulley 84. The pulley 84 is mounted upon a shaft which extends into a conventional reduction gearing box 86. From said box extends a shaft 88 upon the ends of which are secured appropriate pulleys 90. The reduced end 62 of the rod 60 associated with one of the rack bars 18 is provided with a pulley 92. Endless belts 94 are trained over the pulleys 90 and 92. Thus there is a driving connection between the motor 76 and all of the rack bars on the framework.

Suitably mounted upon the top member 42 of the framework are air circulation units or fans 96 which are operatively connected to the electric source and suitably mounted upon the lower member 44 of the framework are infra-red drying units 98 which are also operatively connected to the electric source.

In operation, the B clips are removably suspended on the rack bars and each rack bar is slowly rotated on the sides of the trough 30 with the B clips dipping into the rubber solution so that a coating of the liquid neoprene is deposited upon that portion of the B clip other than the smaller hook 14; Each rack bar is then transferred to the framework 40 where one reduced end 20 is slipped into the bore 68 of a rod 60 in such a manner that the radial pin 72 extends between the axial pins 70. The other reduced end 20 of the rack bar is then fitted into the open opposite bearing 58. When the motor is energized, the rack bars are rotated in unison slowly at 12.5 R. P. M. for about minutes. Depending upon weather conditions, the drying and setting of the rubber coating can be effected without the use of the fans 96 and the infra-red dryers 98, although in most instances one or both of the latter must be used. Since the rubber coating on the B wire clips must be an average of .015 inch thick, two runs will be required. After the first run for 15 minutes, the racks are removed and redipped. They are then again transferred to the framework where they are rotated slowly for approximately 45 minutes. T he clips are then removed and dipped in talcum powder.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be understood that minor variations may be made by a skilled artisan without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

We claim: 7

1. Apparatus for drying and setting small objects coated with rubber comprising elongated bars each including spaced brackets removably suspending the objects, a frame including a plurality of vertically spaced sets of horizontally aligned bearings, one vertical set of bearings journaling one of the ends of said bars, rods with pulleys thereon journaled in the other vertical set of bearings, means removably retaining the other end of said bars in predetermined positions in said rods, endless belts trained over said pulleys on said rods and thereby interconnecting said rods, a motor and means drivingly connected said motor with said rods.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means removably retaining the other ends of said bars in predetermined positions in said rods includes a bore opening through one end of each rod, each end of said bar being circular in cross-section and of diameter somewhat less than thatof said bore and received therein, a pair of spaced pins extending axially from said one end of said rod, and a further pin extending radially from said bar and received between said spaced pins.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 790,176 Bowman May 16, 1905 1,662,816 Bigelow Mar. 20, 1928 1,948,091 Alvey et al Feb. 20, 1934 2,494,958 Musselman Ian. 17, 1950 

